


We're Happy Tonight

by loverlyharry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Winter, it's just wintery and snowy and people meet and fall in love i guess, louis is in uni and harry's in college, there isn't really a storyline or anything I was just thinking and this is what happened?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 03:59:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5442533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loverlyharry/pseuds/loverlyharry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis is home for christmas and Harry lives next door.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We're Happy Tonight

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a little winter fic I've been writing for a few days, title is from winter wonderland because I've been listening to Michael Buble's christmas album for at least an hour now.

It was snowing and Louis was quite cold, even though he was inside. He didn't know if he could so much as get to the car, let alone get into the car and drive to the store. He didn't even really know where the store  _was,_ seeing as his family had moved in very recently and he'd only just come back from uni for the holidays, but none of his siblings seemed to get that, they all wanted to decorate their cookies and what the hell was Louis supposed to do? It wasn't his fault the skies had opened up and poured this much snow onto their town.

Well, the fact was, he had to fix it. He had one sister glancing at him at him from across the room every few minutes, and another no doubt pouting as she kept an eye on the cookies in the oven. They hadn't realized they didn't have enough ingredients for icing  _before_ making the cookies, and apparently it was extremely important. Louis thought they would taste good either way, but they didn't seem to feel the same way about it.

"Mum, you sure we can't make icing here?" He called out, to where his mum was standing in the kitchen. Why wasn't she getting any of the blame? Not that he wanted her to, of course, but he didn't see why it seemed to be his job to find a solution. 

"Yes, Louis, I'mstill sure. We'd need powdered sugar and we don't have any, nor do we have  _any_ sugar left. We can just eat the cookies without icing though, right girls? We don't really need it do we?"

She must have had glares pointed at her then, as she stayed quiet after that.

And, Louis wanted this break to be good. He wanted everyone to be happy because moving had been stressful for them, and now the weather was awful and the rest of their things wouldn't come from storage for another week because of some mix up,  and he was going to get them the damn icing if they wanted it that much. If it would make them happy. He hated having everyone upset, and especially around the holidays. Christmas was only a few days away now, and he was going to make sure it was good if it killed him.

Louis went upstairs and bundled up in an extra jumper and coat, socks, boots, and a scarf before trudging downstairs and opening the door.

"Louis, what are you doing? You know you can't drive in this weather. Close the door, it's freezing outside!"

"I'm not driving anywhere, don't worry, Mum," He called as he went out and shut the door behind him.

Bloody hell, maybe this really  _would_ kill him. 

Louis trekked slowly over to the neighbor's house on the left, being  _so_ very glad it wasn't too far. His boots sank into the snow with every step, he could feel snow falling on his face, he couldn't see very well, and he was starting to feel numb but he ended up reaching the house without any huge mishaps. Maybe this wasn't how he wanted to meet the neighbors for the first time, with a red nose and watery eyes, asking for icing ingredients, but what could he do about it now? He rang the doorbell - maybe two or three times on accident, he couldn't quite feel his fingers (he probably should have worn mittens) - and... nothing. No one answered. He knocked, to no avail. He kind of wanted to cry but he trudged back and passed his house, going to the one on the other side. He wasn't really used to this kind of weather anymore, he'd specifically picked a university where he would actually be able to go outside comfortably in winter without needing at least five layers. His teeth chattered and he shivered as he stood outside, ringing the bell. Maybe multiple times, he really wan't sure. Maybe his finger was stuck to the doorbell, or maybe he just couldn't move it because he was to cold to do anything other than shiver violently every couple moments. It was during one of these shivering spasms that the door swung open, and he was met with a boy in a ridiculous Christmas sweater, a mug in his hands, and a string of tinsel around his neck.

Well. 

Louis involuntarily reached out for the mug, gasping softly when his hands made contact, feeling it burn a bit but feel so, so good after the freezing weather outside. He really wasn't used to this. Maybe because he was quite small, too, but. And oh, the boy was staring at him expectantly him now. How long had he been standing here?

"Uh, hey mate?" The boy asked with a question in his tone.

"Next door." Louis said as his teeth chattered. He hoped that was enough of an explanation.

Apparently not, as the boy just looked confused. He also looked cute and cozy and Louis wanted to hug him and share his body heat. Was that strange?

"I live next door," Louis stated again. He could just barely feel the warm air from inside  the house on his face and he really  _really_ wanted to go inside.

"Oh, that's right! You do look familiar. I think my mum went over the other day to say hello. Why are you out in this weather anyway? You - "

"Icing," Louis managed to get out. He hoped that was enough and that this boy would hurry it up and give him some ingredients so he could go back to his warm room with a nice blanket and a fire on. Or, maybe he would invite Louis in and put on a movie then cuddle him. He was freezing out here, with his hands glued to the boy's drink, and he was just going on and on about something. Like Louis cared. (Well, maybe with this particular neighbor he quite did because he was cute but Louis was bloody  _freezing._ ) He shivered again.

"Shit, sorry, you must be cold!"

Louis gave him a look that was meant to look sharp but probably just looked pained.

"Gemma, there's someone at the door, can he come in? I mean, mum's  not here but - " A girl appeared at the door and recognition flickered in her eyes before she ushered him inside. 

"Harry, you idiot, he was freezing out there! We've neighbors, it's not like he's a stranger! Look at him, poor thing!" Harry looked at Louis apologetically, as Louis awkwardly handed him back the mug he'd kind of grabbed earlier. Harry took it and had a sip, his lips curving over the edge and they were so pink - 

But that didn't matter right now. What did matter was the steaming mug that the girl - Gemma - was carrying carefully over,  and he drank a big gulp of it down (it was hot chocolate, he was very pleased) as she muttered to Harry about "what a way to introduce yourself Harry! Honestly, did you even see the snow? Why didn't you just let him in?" 

His cheeks colored and he mumbled an apology to Louis, which he waved a hand at him as if it was no big deal, the other hand gripping his mug tightly. It was kind of a big deal, Louis still couldn't entirely feel his fingers, but the boy was cute and flustered so Louis let it go and the warmth of the house made him feel much better as he thawed out. 

He was shown to the couch as Harry walked back to their tree in the corner of the living area, taking the tinsel from around his neck and draping it across some of the branches. Gemma sat on a chair across from him, looking inquisitive. 

"Why were you out in this weather, " Louis supplied her with his name and she continued, "Louis? Is something wrong?" She questioned with a bit of worry laced in her light sounding tone. Harry came and sat on the couch after he finished, facing Louis as well.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a deep voice, deeper than Louis would have thought. It was a nice voice, Louis wouldn't mind listening to some Christmas songs  sung in that throaty voice of his. His green eyes settled on Louis' face, then flicked to Gemma and back, confused.

How long had Louis been thinking about his voice? This was quite awkward.

"I'm alright, thanks, I.. uh, do you have any powdered sugar?"

They started at him, and a smile crept onto Harry's face.

"You came out in this kind of weather for sugar?"

"My sister's are making cookies and they're set on icing and decorating them as well, and I couldn't drive anywhere.." Louis trailed off as Harry let out a loud laugh, Gemma joining him with a clear tinkling one.

"I thought something bad had happened! You looked quite upset!" Harry spoke after their laughter died down down.

"I just don't really like the snow," Louis mumbled and he felt his face burn. Had he really looked that upset? 

"You don't like snow? How can you not like it? It's so pretty, look out the window there -"

"We've got some in the cupboard I believe, let me go check," Gemma said, cutting Harry off, her voice trailing behind as she got up and ambled away.

There was a bit of an awkward silence before Harry turned away from the window and back to Louis. Louis still wouldn't mind a cuddle from him, and he really wanted to run his hands through Harry's curls. They were quite long and messy but cute, which kind of seemed to sum up everything he knew about Harry so far.

"So do you go to school here? I don't think I've seen you at college."

"I'm in uni actually, just back for the holidays and such."

Harry nodded as Gemma returned with some powdered sugar in a sandwich bag. She handed it to him with a small smile, and he gripped it in his free hand. The silence became awkward again so Louis downed the rest of his hot chocolate and Harry plucked the cup from his hand. They all stood up, Harry going to put the mugs away and Louis to leave, with Gemma close behind him. He thanked her before leaving with a small smile and a wave.

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Over the next few days, Louis got quite bored. His arrival from uni had been exciting for everyone, and his sisters had hung onto him for a few days, but now it was back to normal and they were all  doing their normal routines. Louis didn't really have a routine here anymore, though, as he could only come around Christmas and for the summer. He didn't even have a room here because he'd figured there wasn't a point, with him not being there much anyway, but he felt kind of out of place. Most of his things were in his flat at school and he didn't have much work to do over break, though he did have to start reading a textbook for one of his classes. He conveniently forgot about that for a while, though.

It was because of these circumstances that Louis found himself thinking about Harry quite a bit. It was also around the same time that Harry showed up at the door with a cheerful smile and an invitation for the Tomlinson's to come over for dinner.

"My mum cooked too much food because we were expecting family and now our cousins aren't coming for a few days, because the snow started up again, so she asked me to invite you lot if you'd like. I'm supposed to ask our other neighbors too, but they scare me a bit so I'll just say they're busy. Anyway, you up for it?"

Louis raised is eyebrows and a confused smile tugged at his lips as he motioned for Harry to come in while he went to round up everyone. Fizzy was watching a movie and didn't want to go, and Doris and Earnest were napping. His mum and Lottie agreed and followed Louis back to the living room, after they'd all grabbed some extra layers and shoes. His mum called for Fizzy to keep an eye on the twins while they were gone.

"Hello, you! Harry, is it?" His mum asked as Harry stood up from the couch where he'd been sitting. He nodded as Louis' mum pulled him into a half-hug, before letting him go.

"It's so lovely of Anne to ask us over! I've been meaning to thank her for the food she brought over, we all really loved it," She said as Harry lead them all back outside, Louis closing the door behind them.

They entered Harry's house to Christmas music playing and Harry's mum and Gemma in the living room.

"Oh, you've made it! Sorry it was a bit last minute, I really don't want to waste any food and I've been meaning to invite you over anyway," Harry's mum called as she and Gemma came to greet them. Jay smiled and the two of them got to talking while Gemma set the table and Harry brought out food from the kitchen. Louis and Lottie stood near the door, both feeling a bit uncomfortable, but then Gemma and Harry were back to usher them to the table. Gemma and Lottie started talking about something or other as they all dug into chicken, beans, potatoes, and various other foods. Louis was very happy about this, he was getting so tired of the food they served at the dining hall at school and he didn't cook much. He could get used to this. (Not that he would be able to, he only had a few weeks off, but he definitely could.)

He chatted with Harry about footie and uni for a while, Harry getting excited at his stories and the mums getting slightly tipsy on wine. Harry washed the dishes and dried as their mums kept talking and Gemma and Lottie retreated somewhere else, probably Gemma's room. 

Harry showed Louis to his room, moving a small mess of clothes onto his bed and offering the chair for Louis, before disappearing for a few moments. Louis looked around at the posters and trinkets that were abundant in the room, it looked similar to how his own room had looked before he'd moved out. Harry then returned with a shy smile and two plastic cups of.. white wine? Louis took a glass and had a sip, and, no. It was sparkling apple cider. Louis couldn't even remember the last time he had apple cider and suddenly he felt younger with Harry - not that he was old anyway, but he felt like he was in college again. They played video games and drank their cider for a while, and had just refilled their glasses and started watching Friends when Louis' mum popped her head through the door and searched for Louis in the dark.

"Louis, honey? Lottie and I are going home now, you ready?"

Louis wasn't ready. He wanted to spend some more time with this smiley and adorable boy, so he told her he'd walk home in a while. She then left with a wave as Harry pressed play on the show. They laughed so much that Louis almost thought there was alcohol in that cider, but he knew there wasn't. Harry smacked his arm and let out a loud laugh whenever he thought something was really funny, and it was quite cute the way he laughed. They also kept making eye contact in the glow of Harry's laptop between them, and they just giggled like drunks at every single line, until they could barely hear the show at all. Harry eventually got up again to refill their cups and Louis stood and stretched for a minute, then paced in the small area next to his room. He slid a hand through his messy hair and groaned to himself, feeling tied between going home and staying, because he felt sure that if he stayed he'd try to kiss Harry and what good would that do? Harry was young and Louis was at uni, and that made him sad. He  _really_ wanted to though, but what would Harry think? It was getting late, he should probably get home anyway.

He didn't really want to leave, but, they'd only met a few days ago and that would be a bit weird if he just stayed over. 

He heard the door creak and he turned, a hand still in his hair, and saw Harry with a small smile, a cute dimple poking out, an adorable mess of curls, and those bright eyes of his. 

Goddamn it all.

"I've got to go," Louis spit out, letting his hand fall to his side and looking at the ground.

"Oh," he heard a slighty dejected voice say, and when he looked up again Harry's smile had fallen a bit. Louis didn't want that. He didn't want it at all. He checked the clock and sighed.

"I, uh, sorry, it's midnight, I should probably just.." 

"Yeah." His smile was gone. Louis froze.  _Midnight_. The twenty-fourth. It was Louis' birthday.This felt like some kind of upside-down Cinderella story, where instead of losing everything at midnight, he just felt confused. He didn't think he'd exactly charmed Harry enough to get him to run after him with a shoe in his hand, but midnight hadn't seemed to make anything worse either. 

Louis stepped over until he was right in front of Harry and put out a hand, not sure if he was reaching for Harry or for the doorknob behind him. Harry looked at him, a slight pout on his lips, before leaning slightly into his touch.

What was he doing?? How was Louis supposed to leave now?

Louis took a deep breath and tried to pull on the door, but Harry leaned against it and it closed behind him. And now Harry was just  _looking_ at him. Louis only had so much self-control, and it was right about at it's end now.

Harry bit his bottom lip and that was it, Louis gave up. He leaned forward and let his lips rest on Harry's, feeling them soft against his own for a moment before pulling away. 

Harry's eyes were so  _wide_. He looked like a surprised doe, and as much as he wanted to lean back in, he held himself back.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I should have just left, before I could.. I'm sorry." His eyes turned back to the floor. He wasn't sure what Harry was thinking, but did he want to know? What if Harry was upset? 

He  _felt_ Harry's eyes on him and raised his head back up to see a badly concealed grin on Harry's face, and Louis sighed in relief and laughed, probably too loud for this time of night, but what did he care? It was his birthday and he'd just kissed a lovely boy who had the most infectious smile. Louis couldn't really help it, he pulled Harry in for a hug and felt him tense for a second before wrapping his own arms around Louis. They disentangled and Louis really needed to go home, as much as he wanted to stay, so Harry walked him out. And, well, maybe Louis looked outside and saw that the snow had stopped and there wasn't as much as he thought left on the sidewalk. And he was wearing two pairs of socks. So maybe he only put on one shoe,  _accidentally_ , of course. It was dark, and he was still smiling like that had been his first kiss, and it could happen to anyone. Maybe his foot nearly froze on his way home, but it was only next door so it wasn't too awful. He was just forgetful.

The next day, Louis awoke at eleven to his mum calling him downstairs, and Harry at the door, holding one lone, faded shoe. His shoe. (It fit, of course, it  _was_ his own shoe after all, but Louis had to hide his smile as Harry made him put it on so he could triple knot it, saying now Louis would never forget his bloody shoes somewhere and freeze again.)

Louis wasn't planning on it, anyway, Harry seemed like quite a  _prince_ , in some aspects after all and Louis didn't want to let him go quite yet.


End file.
